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Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Tom Mboya: What is Kumekucha Hiding?

Is Kumekucha now resorting to twisting history in an attempt to influence current and future political events? I hope this right-of-reply will shed the light on some of the more recent misrepresentations.

i) Odinga senior hated Mboya because Mboya did not respect tribal ways where the older man is respected by the younger. Which meant that Mboya was supposed to shut up and blindly follow Odinga because he was also from Nyanza and older.

Bw. Chris,

On what basis do you make the accusation that Jaramogi ‘hated’ Mboya? Is it recorded anywhere as a fact? And then you go ahead and make very skewed conclusions that Jaramogi wanted Mboya to shut-up and blindly follow Odinga. I would like to see evidence of these allegations Chris because just in the same way, did you expect Jaramogi to shut up and follow Mboya blindly? I think you ought to get a copy of the book ‘Not yet Uhuru’ then perhaps you can understand that the white colonialists were much better than the African ‘liberators’ whom Mboya represented with zeal.

ii) When Odinga snr saw that Mboya was in poll position to be the first president of Kenya, he played the tribal card by calling for the release of an old man who was badly out of touch called Kenyatta not because he loved him but because he knew this would "fix" Mboya who drew the bedrock of his cosmopolitan support from the Kikuyu. This single action forever changed "the gear" of politics from the nationalistic approach Mboya was pursuing to a tribal one.

Prior to independence, Mboya was never in pole position to be the first president of Kenya. If anything, Kenyatta was in jail and Jaramogi was approached by the British to be Kenya’s first Prime Minister but he declined saying that no Kenyatta, no Uhuru. In case you did not know, Kenyatta was in the 50s the leading nationalist and along with the famous Kapenguria six a leading politician in his own right. How then do you accuse Jaramogi (a Luo) of tribal politics when without him Kenyatta (a Kikuyu) would probably have died in Kapenguria detention centre, and he (Jaramogi) would have proceeded to be Kenya’s first head of state?

As far as my knowledge of pre/post-independence history is concerned, Mboya was a mere labour union official (much like present day Francis Atwoli) who was jealous of Jaramogi's close relationship with Kenyatta and was desperate to get close to Kenyatta so as to up his political chances in the Kenyatta succession that was sure coming after independence. If Kenyatta radically changed midstream and converted from hero to villain, and even in the process fell out with his Kapenguria cellmates and Jaramogi regarding land redistribution and sharing of the national cake, how does this become a creation of Jaramogi?

iii) Despite his many years in the opposition trying to create the image of a nationalist, when the first multi-party elections were called, Odinga snr could not get national support and instead made a tribal deal with the Bukusu (Luhya sect) but this was not enough to win the elections or even to beat second placed Kenneth Matiba.

Please do not display your ignorance of multi-party politics in Kenya on this esteemed blog. Odinga did not try to create an image of a nationalist. That he WAS a nationalist who was later to be christened the DOYEN OF OPPOSITION POLITICS in Kenya are matters of FACT and not fiction. This was not without reason and his record speaks for itself. His quest for the presidency in 1992 was successful in so far as the prevailing circumstances then goes.

Although he was number 4 in the highly rigged elections in which Moi led Matiba, Kibaki and Odinga in that order, it is well known that Matiba and Kibaki were number 2 and number 3 because of reasons I have explained elsewhere on this board and as proof, the MPs who got elected to parliament in their respective political parties were all clustered in one region!

In contrast, No. 4 Jaramogi's party FORD-K managed to obtain an MP from each province in this republic a feat that not even KANU or any other party for that matter has achieved to date. In subsequent by-elections in Webuye, Kisauni, Kasarani/Mathare, FORD-K emerged tops despite the then mighty KANU machinery. Which national party did Mboya, Moi or Kenyatta lead? Please Chris, you can do much much better than try to twist history here!

I am further inclined to believe that FORD-K was the most effective official opposition since the advent of multi-part politics. For instance, without FORD-K, the famous IPPG reforms would never have come to fruition and by now it is probable that Kumekucha himself could as well have been wasting away in Manyani or Shimo-la-Tewa prison for running this blog. Chris you have every reason to thank Jaramogi for bringing together level headed and highly courageous young turks together in FORD-K to fight the might of Moi and KANU. While we are at it, could you please enumerate any political or constitutional achievement of significance that Mboya brought forth in his more than a decade long career in Kenyan politics and if any such achievements are impacting positively on the life of any Kenyan today?

If Bukusu’s vote for FORD-K in 1992 is tribal, what was Matiba’s (FORD-Asili) vote from Kakamega in the same region and the same election? What was Moi’s from NEP or Kibaki’s from Maasai land? Arent all these regions in Kenya? What about those who stood in their own areas and failed; like Mukaru N'gan'ga of KENDA and George Moseti Anyona of KSC? I am kindly asking you to spare us this shameless hypocrisy and tell the facts as they are.iv) Contrast Mboya and Odinga senior. Odinga's support in the 60s was tribal where all Luos were supposed to follow him blindly without question. Mboya represented a cosmopolitan constituency where the intelligent voters had to be convinced with intelligent arguments and actions rather than mere words. Mboya resisted all calls to go back to his "easier" rural home (although admittedly he was virtually unknown there having grown up mostly amongst the Akamba people and the Kikuyu in parts of Kenya very far away from his home in Rusinga Island. Odinga saw this as a weakness he could exploit in Mboya and played the tribal card again and again against him.

You see, what you are trying to imply here is that it is negative tribalism for Jaramogi to be MP for Bondo, while it is quite alright for Kenyatta to represent Gatundu, or Kibaki to represent Othaya, or Moi to represent Baringo. Is Bondo not part of Kenya?

Incidentally, Kibaki was MP for Bahati in Nairobi before relocating to his Othaya in Nyeri. Chris does not see anything wrong with this, but continues to see something wrong with Jaramogi reprepresenting Bondo, which he only represented for a year or two before his unfortunate demise. All the other leaders served their home constituencies for life with current President Kibaki now approaching half a century of representing his birth place of Othaya yet Chris see this quite perfect.

There are only 8 constituencies in Nairobi against 210 others spread all over the country. Do we take it that one can only be a nationalist if one represents any of the 8 constituencies in Nairobi? Are the likes of Maina Kamanda, David Mwenje, Norman Nyagah, Beth Mugo or Simon Mbugua all nationalists since they were all elected MPs in Nairobi like our ‘hero’ Mboya? Incidentally Chris, and just for the records ODM boasts the first non-indigenous Kenya MP outside Nairobi through the election of one Shakeel Shabir in Kisumu. Another Kenyan Somali councillor was also elected Mayor of Migori. Can a Maasai or a Luhya be elected councillor and then Mayor say in Mwingi or Nyeri? For ODM, this has already come to pass and this is apart from being the party boasting the most widespread MPs nationally. So which is the tribal party, is it ODM or ODM-K and PNU?

I see your pro-Mboya posts as a wicked attempt at trying to influence young voters through gross misinterpretation of facts. Only the truth (and reforms) shall set us free. Not fables published by Kumekucha and packaged as history.

PANGANGA MINGI PHIL FROM YOU, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU DELETE THIS I WANT ANSWERS. Why did your god:1. 'Grab' 50% of the ODM cabinet to his tribesmen;2. Appoint his incompetent siblings to govt positions eg water pouring Oburu and chemistry mwalimu Akinyi;3. Spend 850 million buying and renovating shell/ BP hse just to have a palace in town while 80% of kenyans live below poverty line;4. Complain furiously about a VIP toilet and red carpet before hunger stricken kenyans;5. Demand a salary equal to that of the President 'with immediate effect while 90% of kenyans are jobless;6. Go on a fruitless world tour costing the taxpayer millions of shillings with NOTHING to show for it.

Phil, get a life!! Why do you think others should worship Odingas cos you worship them? Phil, get this into your head and move on, NOT every Kenyan is moronic and a retarded like you to worship others humans like you do!Odingas will never come close to anywhere Tom Mboya was and that's a fact you can take to the bank.Jinga shenzi type!

Luhyas in ODM are biggest loosers. Being the second largest tribe and Mudavadi as the Deputy Capt, Odinga felt the best them is 3 slots while he hived off 10 for his tribe. FYI When Jaramogi died, the Luos abandoned us and formed NDP. We didnt hold grudges and voted Raila in 2007 for the interest of kenya but he screwed us again

In the previous post,Phil reasoned that Kikuyu's deserve what they get by always voting for their own.He doesnt appear bothered that he was reasoning from a point of ignorance or malice or both when he conveniently fails to say that in all elections since 92,Luos(wajaruo according to M7) have done exactly the same except for 02 when they voted for one Mwai.Dont ask me what happened to their presidential candidate that year,Raila can answer that!

Thanx Phil,Thats a very sober analysis which avoids glossing over those masquerading as freedom fighters.

Kenyan history books need to be re-written as many are based on half truth and distortion of facts which i believe many of the bigots throwing insults at Phil still believes in. Talk about a country build on falsehood which has resulted in the current crisis/chaos.

Take for example, if I, Philip the visitor, who is not tribalistic (I'm serious about it) runs for presidency, and my tribe, which has many tribalists decide to vote for me, while the other tribe, which also has tribalists decide not to vote for me because of my tribe, am I a tribalist?

When I look at this in this context then I see both Oginga Odinga and Matiba were national leaders, however it's the tribalists in their tribe who painted them to be also tribalist, which isn't the case.

You can only know a tribalist based on his actions towards members of the same tribe, he tends to irrationally favour them a lot, or members of another tribe, he tends to irrationally ignore them a lot.

When a tribalist is passing reward, even if members of another tribe assisted him to gain the power he tends to still favour inequitably members of his tribe. It's caused by phobia to members of other tribe, which normally is false. That's the reason I can see that when it comes to tribalism Kenyatta leads followed by Kibaki then Raila and finally Moi.

I repeat - Matiba and Oginga appeared tribalist not because they were tribalist but because they were painted so by their tribalistic tribesmen.

About the fight between Tom Mboya and Oginga maybe I also need to dig deeper because all along I've always known they were arch-enemies, that Tom Mboya became famous among the Luos because they suspected he was killed by Kenyatta who was at that time an enemy of the Luos out of his (Kenyatta's) conflict with Oginga Odinga (Ouko also became famous because Luos suspected he was killed by their enemy) - is simply "an enemy of my enemy is my friend, even if he also used to be my enemy!.

Let's even assume that what Kumekucha says is true, does it mean that if I use my supporters, most of who are in my tribe, to fight my enemy, then I'm I a tribalist? In the same way if a mother uses the support of her siblings to frustrate her husband, does it mean that she's practicing nepotism? There I disagree with Kumekucha like my fellow Phil. (But Phil note that it doesn't mean that I agree with you in everything - in the last thread I didn't agree with some of your comments.)

Whilst I recognize that the last post on Odinga was definetely loaded up with unqualifiable statements, half truths and even damnable lies, I feel you are falling into the same trap with your rebuttal of the above said by responding with a whole new batch of semi-qualifiable and arguments just to add weight to your narrative, rather than reaching for a more accurate appraisal of the situation

For example this claim you make

"Mboya was a mere labour union official (much like present day Francis Atwoli)who was jealous of Jaramogi's close relationship with Kenyatta and was desperate to get close to Kenyatta so as to up his political chances in the Kenyatta succession that was sure coming after independence"

It may be true that Mboya's power came through his Trade Union activities, however by going the extra mile, to discredit Mboya's seniotity relative to Odinga's is totally uncalled for, because at the end of the day the fight for independence means more to Kenyans than a popularity contest. Furthermore it is simply not fair on the legacy of either politician to discuss their actions on such a vain level.

Consider that after operation Jock scott and Operation Anvil?, a very deliberate attempt by the British government to decapitate Kenya's political class, people like Mboya were left in a situation where they had to pick up the torch and make sure the fight for political representation was not lost. That he did very well orgarnising one of the three political parties that that merged into the KANU in 1960, which put Kenyatta in power, should be a credit to them man's efforts in trying circumstances and not a means to slag him off as some kind of cheap boot-licker.

Like I said before and will probably have to keep saying so long as I post on these blogs. If we are to move forward as a nation we have to deal fixing the politics, not 'fixing' the politicians who live on this kind of politics.

On what basis do you make the accusation that Jaramogi ‘hated’ Mboya? Is it recorded anywhere as a fact? And then you go ahead and make very skewed conclusions that Jaramogi wanted Mboya to shut-up and blindly follow Odinga.

Odinga Snr.'s wafuasi tended to make strongly derogatory remarks about Mboya not being a genuine Luo. David Goldsworthy, Mboya's biographer, reports that Mboya's life was thought to be in danger when he campaigned against Odinga in Nyanza at the 1966 election.

Prior to independence, Mboya was never in pole position to be the first president of Kenya. If anything, Kenyatta was in jail and Jaramogi was approached by the British to be Kenya’s first Prime Minister but he declined saying that no Kenyatta, no Uhuru. In case you did not know, Kenyatta was in the 50s the leading nationalist and along with the famous Kapenguria six a leading politician in his own right. How then do you accuse Jaramogi (a Luo) of tribal politics when without him Kenyatta (a Kikuyu) would probably have died in Kapenguria detention centre, and he (Jaramogi) would have proceeded to be Kenya’s first head of state?

As far as my knowledge of pre/post-independence history is concerned, Mboya was a mere labour union official (much like present day Francis Atwoli) who was jealous of Jaramogi's close relationship with Kenyatta and was desperate to get close to Kenyatta so as to up his political chances in the Kenyatta succession that was sure coming after independence. If Kenyatta radically changed midstream and converted from hero to villain, and even in the process fell out with his Kapenguria cellmates and Jaramogi regarding land redistribution and sharing of the national cake, how does this become a creation of Jaramogi?

Comparing Mboya to Atwoli is a mistake, since the unions were then far more powerful than they are now, and the senior nationalists had either lost ground (Odinga) or were in detention (Kenyatta). (On preview, I've just seen Andruid's comment. He gets it right.) Mboya was easily the most popular African politicians, as well as the best organised: he had money; he had control of KANU as its Secretary General; and he had support across the country.

The point of Odinga's insistence on Kenyatta's release is obvious. Kenyatta and Mboya were the only African politicians with a national following, while Odinga's base was Luo Nyanza. Odinga couldn't compete for those votes because the Luo Union had denounced Mau Mau; because, following the mass expulsions and detentions of Gikuyu during the Emergency, the colonial state had replaced them with Luo; and because he was ideologically opposed to the KADU coalition.If KANU won the election and formed the government, Mboya would have taken over because he was already Secretary-General of KANU -- Odinga would have been unable to prevent him becoming Prime Minister. Good politics required Odinga to find a way to divide Mboya's vote; good politics dictated Odinga's demand that Kenyatta be released before the formation of a KANU government.

You see, what you are trying to imply here is that it is negative tribalism for Jaramogi to be MP for Bondo, while it is quite alright for Kenyatta to represent Gatundu, or Kibaki to represent Othaya, or Moi to represent Baringo. Is Bondo not part of Kenya?

There's no such implication in Phil's claim. Self-evidently, it is negative tribalism for Odinga to have caused Mboya's life to be threatened during the campaign in 1966. Odinga's followers very unhidden conviction that Mboya was not a proper Luo -- that he was an agent of the enemy -- is even more self-evidently negative tribalism. (This isn't to imply that there is such a thing as positive tribalism.)

T.J. Mboya was a great Kenyan leader who enabled many Kenyans to pursue education in the US, although most of them have ended up sucking Kenya (Saitoti, etc).

Jaramogi was a genuine nationalist Kenyan I have never seen. He maintained: No Kenyatta, no Uhuru. Which African in Africa can be so faithfull. Mugabe never gave Nkomo that priority although Nkomo was an older fighter and wiser.

The posting is really true. Kenyans must understand that in politics, you must have friends and enemies. There are reasons why Mboya never liked Jaramogi and vice versa.

This doesnt mean that Odinga applied tribal politics to finish him. Instead he warned him against the Mafia who were out to kill. It never lasted even a year. Kenyatta was blood thirsty.

LETS NOT FORGET FACTS OF KENYAN HISTORY LIKE SOME PEOPLE ON HERE WOULD LIKE TO

PHIL THANKS FOR SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT!!!!

1963 Independence, enter Jomo Kenyatta and GEMA Land-buying companiesTrouble is, we had a majimbo constitution at independence. Jennifer Widner explained in her 1992 book, The Rise of A Party-State in Kenya: From "Harambee!" to "Nyayo!" that KANU "urged central control of all regions in an effort to forestall local majimbo legislation restricting land transfer to those born in the area, and to maintain the foothold of the party's Kikuyu supporters in the Rift Valley land market".

Many settlers were returning to Britain. Kenyatta and his cronies quickly formed the Settlement Transfer Fund Schemes (STFS) and asked the British for a loan to the Kenyan government, to buy off land from colonial settlers returning to Britain. Good idea up to this point.

Britain, having been reassured by Kenyatta that those settlers still wishing to stay on in Kenya would not have their land repossessed, advanced the money. This money was used to buy settler land which was officially sold into the Kenyatta initiated Settlement Transfer Fund Schemes (STFS).

Next, Kenyatta began to give away and sell for peanuts, these government (STFS)-acquired, former colonial land parcels, to himself, his family and cronies around 1964 and 1965. This is the point when the rain started beating Kenya. Kenyatta's then Vice President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, cried foul and rejected these acts of wanton land grabbing.

The opportunity to choose nationalism and selflessness over greed and ethnic tendencies was lost. Rather than address this land issue once and for all, Kenyatta opted to REPLACE the settler colonialsist in land they had initially grabbed from natives. We have began harvesting the seeds of the mustard sown by Kenyatta in the 1960s. It will not be sweet at all.

The Seroneys and other Nandi and Kipsigis leaders immediately cried foul when Kenyatta ensued in his land grabbing tendencies. So were many Maasai and Miji-Kenda leaders like Ronald Ngala. Their cries were feeble and over run. Today and tomorrow, their descendants will demand justice and restitution in an exercise that threatens to tear apart Kenya's social fabric.

AHA!! SOME MORE FACTS... LETS SEE WHO ON THIS BLOG IS GOING TO DENY FACTS.

The political leadership of Kenya began carving out into two distinct groups. The pro-Kenyatta land beneficiaries, sycophants and apologists where Tom Mboya, Daniel Moi, Paul Ngei and others trooped towards,….and another force resisting the greedy post-Independence governance by Kenyatta which was led by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and included several former KADU operatives like Ronald Ngala, Jean Marie Seroney, Masinde Muliro, Martin Shikuku and others.

Kenyatta soldiered on with his grabbing. He concurrently went ahead with the help of Tom Mboya to change the constitution to give immense imperial powers to the Presidency. He further began using such powers to allocate more land to his cronies and sycophants. His salivating appetite for Rift Valley land largely motivated his choice of Rift Valley natives as Vice President after Oginga Odinga.

First he chose a Maasai, Joseph Murumbi, who read the scheme of land-betrayal on his people and resigned in a huff, then Kenyatta selected Daniel Arap Moi, a Tugen not drawn in the Nandi and Kipsigis land battles, as his next loyal VP. He then descended upon grabbing Rift Valley and Coastal land in a business as usual and "mtafanya nini" attitude that Kibaki is trying to emulate today.

In 1969, Jean Marie Seroney, a leading Nandi politician and MP, issued the Nandi Hills Declaration, laying claim to all settlement land in the district for the Nandi. His demands went unheeded. Aping the British Kenyatta government used a policy of divide-and-rule to neutralize such opposition by parceling out land to other ethnic groups and thus winning their allegiance. Daniel arap Moi, the then Tugen vice-president was allocated the settler farms of the Lembus Forest and the Essageri Salient to divide the Tugen from the Nandi like Seroney.

Most of the power brokers in the Kenyatta regime who formed land-buying companies established huge farms in the Rift Valley either jointly or on their own. They included Njenga Karume, the then Chairman of Gema Holdings, who acquired 20,000 acres in Molo where he is growing tea, coffee, pyrethrum and potatoes and 16,000 acres in Naivasha.

SO WHY BLAME LATE ODINGA FOR THE CROCKED WAYS OF SOME MT. KENYA MAFIA?? SHAME ON YOU

GO TELL KIBAKI TO RESETTLE HIS IDP TRIBESMEN.. NOW IT IS BECOMING AN EMBARRASSMENT.. WHY NOT GIVE BACK THE LAND HE ACQUIRED FRAUDULENTLY TO THE IDP'S ?

Mwai Kibaki acquired 20,000 acres in Nanyuki, Former MP Munene Kairu has 32,000 acres at Rumuruti. Mr Isaiah Mathenge, the former powerful Provincial Commissioner under Kenyatta and an MP under Moi, is arguably the largest land owner in Nyeri municipality.

He owns Seremwai Estate, which is 10,000 acres. Kibaki's friend, Kim Ngatende, a former government engineer, has 500 acres too.Mathenge also owns—jointly with former Provincial Commissioner Lukas Daudi Galgalo—the 10, 000-acre Manyagalo Ranch in Meru.

Back in Rift Valley, as Jaramogi and the rest of Kenyans were saying, Not Yet Uhuru, it was land grabbing business as usual. Land-buying companies were heisting big. There result was big acquisitions, for instance, Munyeki Farm—which stands for Murang'a, Nyeri, Kiambu – (4,000 acres), Wamuini Farm (6,000 acres), Amuka Farm (2,000 acres), Gituaraba Farm and Githatha Farm (1,000 acres each) and GEMA Holdings 12,000 acres. A few of them are being utilized, today with the owners growing various crops ranging from coffee, tea, maize and dairy keeping.

IF UHURU AND KENYATTA FAMILY OWN LAND AS LARGE AS NYANZA PROVINCE? WHY ISN'T UHURU IN KAMITI JAIL? WHU IS HE SITTING IN THE MOST SENSITIVE OFFICE IN THE LAND WHEN WE ALL KNOW HE IS A CROCK?

Kenyatta, Moi and Kibaki land holdingsKenya's two former First Families and the family of President Mwai Kibaki are among the biggest landowners in the country. The extended Kenyatta family alone owns an estimated 500,000 acres — approximately the size of Nyanza Province — according to estimates by independent surveyors and Ministry of Lands officials.

Anon, you have wasted alot of time saying the same thing that Kenyatta was a land grabber, a fact known to all of us, including Kikuyus. What you forget is that ALL the current political class now have grabbed lands with the difference in size only ie KIBAKI, RAILA, UHURU, RUTO, KOSGEY, KALONZO, MUDAVADI,SAITOTI etcWHETHER YOU STEAL CHICKEN OR A CAR, ITS ALL THE SAME!

ALL Luos passionately HATED Mboya when he was alive under the instructions of Jaramogi. The only reason Luos like the dead Mboya is because his alleged killer was a Kikuyu. Talk of twisted sick tribalism. Now their true colours are showing here, did you hate Mboya that bad? Could you have been the killers?

Why hasnt Raila learnt AT ALL from tribalism perpetrated by Kenyatta, Moi and Kibaki? Why has he unashamedly continued with the same trend? Or is bringing in your own tribe and family the act of finishing tribalism by the other?

Phil, you need to reduce your intake of the odinga family juice. And you even claimed you voted for wamalwa in 1997!

Now for those scratching their heads wondering why odinga supported kenyatta instead of mboya the answer is simple: both odinga and mboya wanted to be president. Odinga knew if mboya, a young man, became president he (odinga) would never become president. Odinga knew he would be kenyatta's deputy and believed that kenyatta would die soon after becoming leader, which almost happened (see ndengwa's book). Raila's calculation in 2002 was not very different from this. Well, both calculations failed. Incidentally do you see the only other tribe luos have ever supported for the presidency is the kikuyu, and as I have shown above you can see the basis for that support. Why did luos not support wamalwa in 1997? The answer is that they did not see a route for them to the presidency through wamalwa.

Anon 10.42 good point there! Why didnt Luos reciprocate in 1997 and vote for wamalwa the same way they were supported when Jaramogi was alive? Would Luos support Luhyas in 2012 the same way they were supported in 2007? History in kenya tends to repeat itself, lets wait and see!

'Smart' Raila calculated the following in 2002. I WANT THE ZEALOTS LIKE PHIL TO DENY THIS:

1. Kenyatta must loose, this is the family we hate;2. For kenyatta and Kanu to definitively loose i must join existing options ie Nyachae or Kibaki;3. Kibaki already has a coalition NAC with Wamalwa and Ngilu pledging support;4. Kibaki would be the best option as he will divide the massive kikuyu vote;5. I have no time to patch up a coalition to support me as its 3 months to election;6. Kibaki is old, weak and sick now, i can make him sign an MOU which will transfer the power to me;7. Kibaki has promised to do ONLY one term, then he will support me in 2007 or earlier;

The above line of thought by Raila was driven by selfishness and hatred of kenyatta junior. Remmeber NDP said that they would rather Moi continues than Uhuru to take over. Lest you forget!

@anon claimed:"There is no liberal and civilized place like Kisumu. The Kisumu people go for facts and not for stupid ethnism."

Well what would you call - killing & raping your neighbour because he is a kikuyu;- Looting and burning the whole of kisumu to the ground because they belong to kabila adui; - stealing a fridge with a bicycle and using it in a mad thatched hse without stima;- Is uprooting the railway that transports kenyan products coz of a rock miles away?;- calling a rally attended by all tribes in Nairobi and speaking in dholuo;- Is shiting in paperbags and throwing them across to langata?;

Confidential sources last evening revealed State House Chief Finance Officer was removed following controversial purchase of eight high-class vehicles the First Family ordered returned to suppliers this week.

The news broke as questions spiralled on how Sh40 million deal, complete with paper trail between the ‘purchasers’ and the ‘vendors’ could have reached the signing and delivery stage behind the First Family’s back. Though the fate of Mr JK Mutua, who was in charge of purchasing at State House was not immediately clear, our sources were firm he would not be working from State House and the purchase is under investigation.

"As we speak now there are new developments because the Chief Financial officer has been suspended over this matter," sources intimated.

The officer was suspended as Toyota Kenya and DT Dobie — the companies that supplied the vehicles said to have cost at least Sh40 million — pondered the next step because to them it was a sealed deal.

DT Dobie and Government signed the requisite documents and Kenya Revenue Authority has registered the vehicles for GK. This implies the Government could be forcing the firm to take back what it already legally owns.

"It has never happened before that a client has ordered for vehicles we deliver and then the owner rejects them," the firm’s marketing manager Ms Josephine Njuguna said Njuguna said her company was still consulting on the way forward as the matter was unprecedented. Each of the four Mercedes Benz S280 series goes for Sh5 million, but if customised the cost could even go up threefold.

Toyota Kenya confirmed selling Toyota Prado vehicles to State House "as ordered", but declined to give the size of the fleet. But the firm’s marketing manager Ms Benda Kithaka confirmed each luxury vehicle cost Sh4.7 million, duty inclusive. "For us to deliver a vehicle to our client it must be registered and fully paid for," she added, but declined to give details. Kithaka said all the Government procurement procedures were followed.

The rejection of the vehicles by the President and his wife, condensed into a one-page statement dispatched by Presidential Press Service, also triggered questions on who could have made the decision to buy the vehicles in a rush to beat the deadline of closing the financial year.

Another an unanswered question is the Lucy's involvement in what should be a routine Executive and administrative issue at the Presidency.

The flurry of questions also turned attention to the fact that in unprecedented move, and through formal State House communication, the President and First Lady Lucy, were enjoined in the executive order on the return of the vehicles. Five times in the statement sent to newsrooms on Wednesday, the quoted and unquoted text is attributed to: "His Excellency the President and Her Excellency the First Lady…"

It opened with the line: "His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki and Her Excellency the First Lady Mrs. Lucy Kibaki have directed that eight vehicles bought without their authority for use in State House be immediately returned to the dealers ... As an immediate measure we are ordering the return of the eight vehicles that were purchased without our knowledge."

"We are looking into the matter and since it especially involves the President and First Lady. This complicates the matter even further," Ms Njuguna (The D.T Dobie Marketing Manager) added. The DT Dobie official said they had received a purchase order from the Government on the vehicles and they were duly authorised and had no choice but to deliver as per the agreement as they were fully paid for and all the required procedures followed and fulfilled.